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Players union: NFL 'on the verge' of 2014 season without HGH testing

Nearly three years after the ratification of a collective bargaining agreement that included a promise to test for human growth hormone, the NFL and its players union appear no closer than they've been since

Players union: NFL 'on the verge' of 2014 season without HGH testing

Nearly three years after the ratification of a collective bargaining agreement that included a promise to test for human growth hormone, the NFL and its players union appear no closer than they've been since last summer to a comprehensive drug policy.

In an email to players Friday obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the NFL Players Association once again blamed the league for refusing to give up Commissioner Roger Goodell's authority over appeals not related to positive drug tests, such as arrests and evidentiary cases — the primary issue that prevented a deal from getting done last summer.

The league has made numerous concessions, including agreeing to the HGH population study the union demanded, even though the NFL maintains the study is unnecessary. But the league has said repeatedly that commissioner authority was agreed to in the CBA and is non-negotiable.

"Thus, we are on the verge of another year without a safer and cleaner game because the NFL refuses to commit to fair due process for players who choose to appeal NFL discipline for alleged drug policies violations," the union email said.

The league and the union agreed to HGH testing as part of the CBA that was ratified in August 2011, with a timeline of several weeks to work out details.

A deal was close enough last July that the union emailed players to tell them they'd be blood-tested in training camp as part of the HGH population study. But the league wants a signed agreement before beginning a study it didn't want in the first place.

For testing to occur during the 2014 season, a deal likely would need to be done in the next few weeks, allowing time to conduct the population study to be completed and the results analyzed.

Besides commissioner authority, the NFL and the union had agreed last summer on all substantive issues related to HGH testing. Those included:

— Random testing of 40 players — five from eight teams — each week beginning with the first week of the regular season and continuing during the postseason and year-round.

— Discipline beginning with a four-game suspension for the first violation, an eight-game suspension for a second violation and a full season for a third.

The new policy also could ease penalties for stimulants such as Adderall and diuretics by reclassifying them as substances of abuse, rather than performance-enhancing and delaying discipline until a second offense in some cases.

It's unclear if all the concessions the league made last summer remain on the table. The union email said negotiations are ongoing.

The full text of Friday's letter reads:

Gentlemen:

Last year, the NFL and the Players agreed to a process to scientifically evaluate all players in training camp to determine the normal/natural level of hGH for Players, and we agreed on the researchers who would conduct the population study. The Players and the NFL also agreed that after scientific determination of the normal level of hGH for Players (the "decision limit"), we would begin in-season and league wide testing for hGH. In short, the Players and NFL have agreed to hGH testing, including the storage, analysis, timing, and ultimate destruction of blood tests.

However, we have not yet implemented hGH testing because, after the NFL agreed to the detailed terms for the population study (those terms are reflected in the linked letter agreement), the NFL has refused to sign it without complete agreement on new drug policies. Thus, we are on the verge of another year without a safer and cleaner game because the NFL refuses to commit to fair due process for players who choose to appeal NFL discipline for alleged drug policies violations.

Players deserve a fair system, similar to Major League Baseball's, which includes neutral arbitration for all alleged offenses of our drug policies. Currently, the NFL has agreed to neutral arbitration for appeals based on an alleged any positive drug test, but the Commissioner wants to act as the arbitrator in the cases where a violation of the policies is not based on a positive tests (e.g., a violation of law involving banned substances or where NFL believes there is material evidence of a violation of law involving banned substances.) Our union is committed to a fair, clean and safe game, but we are also committed to protecting your rights.

QB Russell Wilson watches from the Seahawks practice facility in Renton, Wash., as a Marines swimmer jumps from a helicopter into Lake Washington during a military demonstration July 31. Ted S. Warren, AP

Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Eric Bieniemy gives instruction to Jamaal Charles during a NFL training camp, Wednesday, July 30, 2014 on the Missouri Western State University campus in St. Joseph. Mo. Todd Weddle, AP